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Regional and Site-Specific Vulnerabilities of the Western Power Grid from a M9.3 Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake
Get PDFThe likelihood of a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake is estimated between 37 to 42% in the next 50 years, leading to strong shaking, liquefaction, landsliding, and other seismic ground failure resulting in major impacts to critical lifelines such as the western power grid. Electrical power is essential for continued functionality of emergency services, economic recovery, and other basic, essential needs such as water and fuel supply, wastewater treatment, and communications. Hence, understanding the extent of damage to the power grid from a CSZ event is critical. The objective of this research, part of a broader study identifying the seismic resilience of the western power grid, is to assess the vulnerabilities of the synthetic western power grid by quantifying the likelihood and magnitude of seismically induced landslide occurrence to determine the effects of those displacements on electrical transmission poles and towers at a regional scale.
To this end, this thesis presents a probabilistic method for a regional seismic landslide hazard analysis and map for the Western United States based on the USGS M9.3 Megathrust CSZ scenario earthquake with consideration of topographic, geologic, and other geospatial information. The landslide triggering analysis completed uses several empirical seismic displacement prediction models based on the Newmark sliding block method, which are calibrated using strength parameters for each geological unit based on the terrain slope at locations of previously mapped landslides within the unit. A predictive displacement regression model, LOS21 was developed using a logic tree scheme that weights the individual models based on the suitability of the model to this regional assessment. The LOS21 model was used to calculate the probability of exceedance of specific thresholds (e.g., 5%, 15% and 50%) to evaluate potential impacts to the power grid. Electrical infrastructure located west of the Cascades in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California were determined to be subjected to the highest risk of landslide-induced damage.
To provide context to the broader study focusing on non-landslide-induced impacts to the western power grid (e.g., ground shaking and inertial equipment loading), an evaluation site was characterized for a detailed site-specific site response analyses to evaluate the differences in amplification between equivalent linear and nonlinear, total stress analyses using ten ground motions pairs scaled and matched to the USGS seismic scenario hazard. The results of the site-specific site response analysis are used to evaluate the potential impact to the electrical components for the substation at the evaluation site for comparison to the seismic hazard developed using the regional map. The equivalent linear and the nonlinear approach produced PGA amplification results that were lower from the USGS seismic scenario hazard by 6% and 32%, respectively. The maps created are suitable for regional resilience and planning and to guide geotechnical investigations but should not be used in place of site-specific analysis for engineering design purposes
Status of the European Green Crab, Carcinus maenas, in Oregon and Washington coastal Estuaries in 2018
Get PDFThe European green crab (Carcinus maenas) has persisted in Oregon and Washington coastal estuaries since the late 1990s. After the arrival of a strong year class in 1998, significant recruitment to the populations occurred only in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Warm winter water temperatures, high Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Multivariate ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) Indices, and a high abundance of southern copepods are all correlated with strong year classes and vice versa (Behrens Yamada Peterson and Kosro 2015). Prior to 2015, green crabs were too rare to exert measurable effects on the native benthic community and on shellfish culture in Oregon and Washington. Following the recent strong El Niño, however, we documented the arrival of four strong year classes in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Average catch rates over the last four years steadily increased from 0.5 to 0.8 to 2.2 and to 3.2 crabs per trap. The catches in the last 2 years are much higher than in any of the previous years, including 1998. Since green crabs live for 6 years, these four consecutive year classes will produce larvae until 2024. A switch to cooler ocean conditions in the coming years will result in poor recruitment, but a return to high PDO and strong El Niño patterns would signal good recruitment and higher green crab densities. For example, green crabs were first documented in New England in 1817, but it took warm ocean conditions during the 1950’s for their numbers to build to a level at which they decimated the soft-shelled clam industry in Maine. With the recent warm trend on the East Coast, green crabs are again abundant. Not only are they preying on shellfish, they are also damaging valuable eelgrass habitat by ripping up the plants in search of food (Neckles 2015).
Even though green crab abundance in Oregon and Washington is still low when compared to Europe, eastern North America, Tasmania, California and the west coast of Vancouver Island, it is imperative to continue monitoring efforts for two reasons:1) to elucidate the process of range expansion and population persistence of this model non-indigenous marine species with planktonic larvae, and
2) to predict the arrival of strong year classes from ocean conditions and alert managers and shellfish growers of possible increases in predation pressure from this invader
Oregon climate assessment report : December 2010
Get PDFThe group of scientists that make up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found in 2007 that the warming of Earth’s climate is unequivocal and largely due to human activity. Earth’s climate has changed in the past, though the recent magnitude and pace of changes are unprecedented in human existence. Recent decades have been warmer than at any time in roughly 120,000 years. Most of this warming can be attributed to anthropogenic activity, primarily burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) for energy. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases, also known as greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere. This warming cannot be explained by natural causes (volcanic and solar) alone. It can be said with confidence that human activities are primarily responsible for the observed 1.5 ˚F increase in 20th century temperatures in the Pacific Northwest. A warmer climate will affect this state substantially.
In 2007, the Oregon State Legislature charged the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, via HB 3543, with assessing the state of climate change science including biological, physical and social science as it relates to Oregon and the likely effects of climate change on the state. This inaugural assessment report is meant to act as a compendium of the relevant research on climate change and its impacts on the state of Oregon. This report draws on a large body of work on climate change impacts in the western US from the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington and the California Climate Action Team. In this report, we also identify knowledge gaps, where we acknowledge the need for more research in certain areas. We hope this report will serve as a useful resource for decision-makers, stakeholders, researchers and all Oregonians. The following chapters address key sectors that fall within the biological, physical and social sciences in the state of Oregon
Columbia River Gillnetter ; Vol. 25, No. 1 (Spring 1994)
No full textThe Columbia River Gillnetter is the pilot of the Lower Columbia River commercial fishing industry, keeping fishermen and the public in touch with today's important issues
Columbia River Gillnetter ; Vol. 43, No. 1 (Winter 2012)
No full textThe Columbia River Gillnetter is the pilot of the Lower Columbia River commercial fishing industry, keeping fishermen and the public in touch with today's important issues
Abstracts of reports from the 23rd annual Pacific Northwest Vegetable Insect Conference
No full textProceedings of the 23rd Annual Pacific Northwest Vegetable Insect Conference, held January 20-22, 1964 at the Imperial Hotel in Portland, Oregon.These are abstracts of progress reports on research conducted on principal insect pests of vegetables, small fruits, and certain ornamentals in the Pacific Northwest and are not intended in any way to constitute recommendations of the Conference. Recommendations can only be made by public service entomologists from their respective areas
California Energy Policy and Perceptions in the 21st Century
Get PDFRarely does an industry touch each citizen’s everyday life while simultaneously garnering such little public attention as the energy industry does. From the fuel powering our vehicles to the energy flowing into our homes powering our laptops, TV’s and lights the energy industry enables our modern lifestyles, but this is not without consequence. As our economies attempt to decarbonize their current infrastructures and further embrace alternative energy technologies, a concerted effort must be made to ensure solutions are being pursued that work for everyone and not a select few. To do this, new energy policies must be considered and implemented in an immediate effort but only with the general public’s overall support. The state of California has committed itself to one of the most aggressive renewable energy targets in the world with the pledge to obtain 100% of its energy needs from renewable energy sources by the year 2045. This lofty goal will only be achieved with the strong public support needed to maintain this commitment and to keep political figures in office that also share these priorities. In order to assess public support for renewable and traditional energy technologies, survey data from an Oregon State University study are examined. Findings suggest that there is widespread support for renewable energy development and the support is strongest among the most highly educated and liberal respondents, while those with lower levels of education and conservatives are more supportive of traditional energy sources and less informed about energy policy
Resource Family Approval Process and the Effects of COVID-19
Get PDFThe State of California uses the Resource Family Approval Program (RFA) to approve resource family homes (foster and adoptive homes). This program is the responsibility of each county to implement and manage. The RFA program was created to be much more family-friendly and provide an approval process that puts the needs of children at the forefront of the program (California Department of Social Services, 2020) compared to the prior approval program. The goals of the RFA program are to streamline and standardized the approval process throughout the state and within each county, while also better preparing families to meet the needs of children in foster care.COVID-19 has given us the unique opportunity to understand the RFA program in Santa Barbara County. During COVID-19 the governor of California issued two written directives that were meant to further streamline the RFA program, while considering the challenges associated with COVID-19. These written directives are policy changes that must be interpreted and implemented at the ground level, by the RFA social works. Throughout this essay the RFA social workers provided insight into the RFA program and the challenges that COVID posed to serving foster children through this system while also being able to address the written directives’ impacts on the RFA process. Implications of the written directives are discussed in this essay
Climate and The Experiences of Black Domestic and Black International Students in a Predominantly White Institution (PWI)
Get PDFAccess to higher education can be foundational in upward social mobility, especially for people of color. However, institutional and systemic racism continues to thrive under the guise of “access” within Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). In recent years, PWIs have actively recruited Black students to diversify their campuses. These same institutions fail to acknowledge the implications of a predominantly white setting have on Black students’ academic success and mental health. In a quest to amplify and understand Black student experiences within PWIs,
interviews were conducted with both Black domestic and international students at Oregon State University. Critical race theory tenet of counter-storytelling is used to illuminate the many untold realities of Black student experiences while highlighting the importance of centering student voices in policy and program development. This study suggests that in order to fully achieve equity in education outcomes for Black students, PWIs must be intentional in their efforts in addressing issues of systemic and institutional racism. University administrators in PWIs need to engage in a thoughtful re-thinking in the role of race and racism in education starting from; curriculum configuration, representation of Black faculty and staff in all levels of the institutions, classroom diversity training and recognition of cultural barriers and practices affecting learning
Starting Out Equal? The Impacts of Child Care Access on Kindergarten Readiness in Oregon
Get PDFChildren enter kindergarten on unequal footing. Early childhood experiences shape initial disparities and predict academic achievement and life trajectories. One influence, child care, is not available to all children in Oregon as most counties qualify as child care deserts. This paper analyzes if child care access has an effect on kindergarten readiness scores. Underlying this research question is the Education Production Function (EPF) theory. Using school district level data on child care capacity and average kindergarten readiness scores, OLS regression is used to determine if the variables are correlated. The regression analysis reveals that child care capacity is positively correlated with kindergarten readiness scores, particularly upper letter recognition scores.
As an example of a policy that increases child care access, this paper also examines the universal preschool initiative that passed in Multnomah County, Oregon in November 2020. Using Multiple Streams Framework, an explorative study of this initiative gives insight into the process of creating the policy, campaigning for the policy, merging of two campaigns, and passing of the final policy. Themes include having a clear message or vision, the important role of community coalition members in creating policy, building a large tent to include multiple avenues of engagement and stakeholders from various fields, utilizing skilled facilitators, adapting and taking advantage of changing circumstances, and researching previous successful policy to emulate